Whether you have children or not, chances are you’ve heard that France’s childcare system is among the best in Europe, both in terms of public and private options. There’s the crèche, subsidized daycare, shared nannies, au pairs, and full-time Nannies who make, or should anyway, a living commensurate with their experience and hours worked. Since more and more foreigners are moving to Paris with children or with the intention of having children, it’s important to understand the landscape. I happen to know someone who works in this world and wanted to get her story, her views on child rearing in Paris specifically, the options that exist, the dark side of the business, and how it all compares with the UK and Germany, where she has both lived and worked. Meet Lise Scott.

Mentioned in this episode:

Lise Scott

Norland nannies

French nursery (crèche) shortage

Paris childcare options

Options and unequal access

Audio production & editing: Matthew Jordan

⁠Music by Little Glass Men⁠

To kick off season 10 a few days into a year that’s already turbulent, I thought I’d keep things lighter and more casual with a friend of the show. I crossed town the day after Paris was submerged in snow to chat with Jay Swanson, YouTuber and creator of Paris in My Pocket, about coffee in the city, the cost of things, pearl-clutching newspaper stories, and what we hope for Paris in 2026. 

Mentioned in this episode:

Jay Swanson

Paris in my Pocket

Galette des Rois

Substance Café

The Guardian article

Audio production & editing: Matthew Jordan

⁠Music by Little Glass Men⁠

In continuing the conversation around the city’s culinary scene, the episode you’ll hear today comes directly from a panel discussion I was part of at The American Library in Paris with two very powerful voices in food that I’m proud to know. I was joined by Carina Soto Velasquez, the co-founder and owner of Quixotic Projects (Candelaria, Le Mary Celeste, and A La Renaissance), and Nora Bouazzouni, a French journalist and author who reports on ethical issues in the industry. We go through the changes in the food scene, some of the ongoing challenges for women, and how violence endures in the kitchen across the country. 

Thank you to the American Library for allowing me to use the audio and to Rachel Donadio for her thoughtful moderation. 

Mentioned in this episode: 

The American Library in Paris talk

Want to watch the conversation? It’s on YouTube

The Eater Guide to Paris

Carina Soto Velasquez 

Nora Bouazzouni 

"Violences en Cuisine: Une Omerta à la Française"

Audio production & editing: Matthew Jordan

Music by Little Glass Men⁠

What does it take to run a successful restaurant or several in a city full of them? Josh Fontaine, cofounder of Candelaria, Le Mary Celeste, and the newly opened A La Renaissance, knows something about it. He joins me to talk about what’s changed in the Paris food and beverage scene since COVID, the proliferation of concept-driven restaurants, creating longevity, and some of the details he’s most proud of at his new restaurant.

Mentioned in this episode:

Joshua Fontaine, Quixotic Projects

Candelaria

Le Mary Celeste

A la Renaissance

Lutèce

Matcha pop-ups

Bemelman's Bar

Audio production & editing: Matthew Jordan

⁠Music by Little Glass Men⁠

Almost a year ago, I launched a series on my newsletter called Leaving America, based on the multitude of reasons Americans opt to leave the country and why many of them, as it happens, end up in Paris. Through this series and my network of creative women in Paris, I’ve connected with so many brilliant Americans who have moved, want to move, or at least understand the desire to. That includes Susanna Schrobsdorff, a former executive editor and columnist for Time Magazine who moved to Paris within the last couple of years. Right off the bat, we started talking together about the feelings tied up in leaving one’s homeland and Paris has done for us, as it has for so many before us. She joins me today to talk about her path to Paris, why it was the right place to settle at this point in her life, and the importance of building community to withstand the toughest of times. 

Mentioned in this episode:

Susanna schrobsdorff

On leaving Brooklyn for Paris

Suzy Hansen's Notes on a Foreign Country

The Blue Hour workshop with Glynnis MacNicol

Paris = luxury fashion, right? Louis Vuitton, Hermès, and Chanel are pillars of France’s soft power and legacy of craftsmanship. And they are among the most counterfeited brands in the world. That's part of what I learned reporting on secondhand luxury and authentication issues for Bloomberg Businessweek.

I got to go behind the curtain at Vestiaire Collective, the leading French secondhand platform, to understand the surge in superfakes, how brands are responding to them, and how platforms like Vestiaire have become frontline defenders in this battle for authenticity. Today, I'm joined by Vestiaire's co-founder Fanny Moizant to talk about values, authentication, access, and how our relationship to French savoir-faire is evolving. Most of all, we'll discuss why secondhand no longer carries a stigma.

Mentioned in this story:

My Bloomberg Businessweek report

Vestiaire Collective

Fanny Moizant

Today's guest, André Michel, is a Paris insider; the unofficial Mayor of Paris with a deep and varied knowledge of food and culture, and a talent for weaving it all into compelling storytelling and events. The occasional food and travel writer and event organizer joins me to talk about what it means to know Paris, why there’s never been a better or more dynamic time to visit or live in Paris, and what travelers should check out this summer.

Mentioned in this episode:

André Michel

The Butcher of Paris

Bruno Verjus / Table

Capital in the 21st Century by Thomas Piketty

Jacques Genin⁠

⁠Jade Genin⁠

⁠Cheval d'Or

Othership NY

La Vasque Olympique

Audio production & editing: Matthew Jordan

⁠Music by Little Glass Men⁠

Diehard fans of Paris already know there’s never been a shortage of activities to fill one’s intellectual and cultural cup. Art openings, talks and conferences, concerts and performances happen every day of the week. But if you’re interested in learning in a classroom setting without going back to school in the traditional sense, the options dry up. That’s where Off Campus steps in. It’s a two-month-old coffee shop and bookstore launched by two friends that has a special room dedicated to classes for adults. I’m joined by the co-founder Siham Jibril to talk about what sparked the idea, why there’s more interest in continuing education, and which themes resonate most with Parisians. 

Mentioned in this episode:

Off Campus

Off Campus on Instagram

Bonjour Jacob

Shakespeare & Co

Galignani

MK2 Bibliothèque

Audio production & editing: Matthew Jordan

⁠Music by Little Glass Men⁠

My new book is officially on shelves! To celebrate, The Red Wheelbarrow bookstore hosted me for a launch event last week. At the start, I was in conversation about the project (and more) with the legendary New York Times bestselling and James Beard Award–winning cookbook author Dorie Greenspan. This episode is an edited version of that discussion.

Mentioned in this episode:

The Eater Guide to Paris

Dorie Greenspan

Julien Pham / Phamily First

Kubri / Rita Higgins

Audio production & editing: Matthew Jordan

⁠Music by Little Glass Men⁠

In the canon of Paris narratives, few focus on oddball finds and secrets lurking right beneath our noses. But Vanessa Grall, more commonly known and Messy Nessy, has made it her calling card. For more than a decade she has sussed out offbeat tales and fascinating individuals who have shaped our world and published several guidebooks to help travelers get beyond the obvious. More than a year ago, she opened a storefront, Messy Nessy’s Cabinet, a shop full of curiosities she joins me to talk about today. 

Mentioned in this episode:

Messy Nessy Chic

Messy Nessy's Cabinet

Bottled Seine water

Suzanne Valadon

Don't Be a Tourist guides

Messy Nessy Instagram

Audio production & editing: Matthew Jordan

⁠Music by Little Glass Men⁠